AngelPuss
by Last-of-DES-ELUSE
Summary: After years of searching for D, Leon's body can't take it anymore. His soul, however, has different plans. Coming back, he gains passage to D's dream boat, and meets up with many new friends... and one, dear old one. yaoi Chapter 4 up, back from the dead!
1. Prologue

Prologue of Angel-Puss

Detective Leon Orcot, formerly of the LAPD, was dying. Not from some fatal bullet wound, or a mugster attack, as he might have thought back in his days on the police force. No, he was sitting in the middle of some huge American city, --- which one it was, he had lost track of, --- lying in an alleyway in the rain, dying of old age and despair. As he lay in the downpour, he thought about his life. Damnit, everything was going fine until Count D showed up with those strange… _creatures_ in the petshop. What on Earth had possessed him that he actually found himself enjoying his time with that-- that-- He even left his brother--! And then he had just…

Disappeared.

Leon chuckled without humor. Add another word to the list of possible names. He sighed and slumped forward, his rage spent. He knew, from the moment he started looking for D, that he wouldn't find him. And three words followed him mockingly through the years, making doubt and fear cloud his mind every so often. Those three words, too shocking and painful for Leon at first, had mellowed out over the years. D. Wasn't. Human. It tolled over and over again in his mind like a bell. He didn't know why it would matter, why it should stir up such strange feelings. And it wasn't like he needed a reminder of the fact either. That boat that he had watched D sail away on was embedded so deeply in his mind you'd need to make him forget his own _name_ before he forgot _it._

Now, as his life began to slip from his earthly body, he started to wonder what he would've done if he had ever found D. Return the picture, for one. Make sure he never went out of the detective's sight again, for another. Leon would drag his skinny Chinese ass all the way back to LA. Somehow, he felt that if he did that, everything would return to normal; D would be sitting and drinking tea while T-Chan, Pon-chan, and Chris ran around the shop. Leon would barge in after a long day at the LAPD, and D would make some comment about how "this was not a buffet" or hotel, and that Leon couldn't just come in expecting to be fed. But, nonetheless, D still fed him. (Of course, a box of expensive chocolates always helped speed the process!)

But, Leon reminded himself, even if he had found D and persuaded him to come back to LA on his flying dream boat, it would never be what it once was. Chris was gone, across the country, D would have a lot of cover-up to do, and even if he did pass that, he would still be hounded by police… and not just Leon this time. Besides, the Count's father was responsible for the death of that agent. That was _bound_ to stir up trouble, even now, 45 years later. He wondered if D even remembered him. Wondered… If D would just laugh at his mortality here. After all, D had practically said outright that he hated humans. What could possibly make Detective Orcot any different?

"_Is your will to live that strong!"_

Leon gave another chuckle. "Not anymore, D. Not anymore," he whispered. Before he could give it another though, he used his last exhale of breath in this life to whisper," I wish… just… once more…"

And with these final words, Detective Leon Orcot, formerly of the LAPD, left this life.

And that is where the story begins.

High above the limp form of Leon, a strange, silvery cloud passed unseen over the hidden moon. On further inspection, it proved to be a large boat. The transport for Count D's petshop and all of its inhabitants. At the wheel was a feminine figure of Chinese descent with black hair that ran just down to the figure's chin. The person's pale skin shone in contrast to the dark silk, dress-like garment they wore. His (for it was indeed a man,) bi-colored eyes scanned the night lazily, like one who's mind was too preoccupied with some other, greater plan. His ship was hidden from the eyes of snooping humans by the thick layer of clouds between them as the boat seemed to plow through them as if they were the waters of a lake. This man was none other than Count D, the one and the same that Leon had been searching for, and although he constantly insisted that the title "Count" did not belong to him, but to his grandfather, it did not stop people from calling him just that. And although D did not hear the half-completed wish from the human miles below, the boat itself, the magic that helped to grant the dreams and desires of those who came to the petshop for better or for worse, heard it. And with an unnoticeable release of magic, it recognized Leon and began to work to grant his wish;

After all, isn't a wish only a step away from a desire?

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R&R


	2. The Arrival

Chapter 1 of Angel-puss

T-Chan, the totetsu, stared at D's back, an unsettled frown marring his features. He was reclining on a large, velvet and jeweled couch, surrounded by a number of strange human-like creatures; some sported long feathered tails and wings, others bore furred ears and sharp fangs, and still others had scales, claws, fins, and---

Well, you get the idea.

Anyway, T-Chan was annoyed. And an annoyed totetsu was not a key to a happy home. Petshop. Ship. Whatever.

Ah yes. Back to the object of our favorite totetsu's frustration. Count D. This was their 5th move since their hasty retreat from LA, and D still haven't gotten over that bone-headed human. It was undetectable by nearly all of the pets in the shop, except for those who always hung out with the count in the front of the shop. (And maybe HonLon; After all, one of her heads _was_ the manifestation of the count's personality!) So, as one of D's constant companions, T-Chan made it his personal duty to make D as happy as possible. He made oukatou whenever the count left the shop, and the count would die in bliss at the mere smell of it cooking when he came back. This would keep him happy for awhile… before he remembered he had no one to share it with but the animals. T-Chan knew that he would gladly do that, but he also knew it wasn't the same to the relatively young count, the totetsu knew.

T-Chan's frown deepened as Q-Chan(1) fluttered over to D and sat on his shoulder, chittering worriedly in his ear. D absently raised a hand from the ship's wheel and patted the rabbat gently on the head, not noticing as the two sharp horns between the long ears pierced his pale skin.

Squeaking in indignance as a drop of dark red blood hit her between the ears, Q-Chan flew off of D's shoulder and headed to T-Chan, chittering her worries to him, imploring him to get D's attention. T-Chan nodded, and walked up behind the count. He was ready to confront the count on what he _knew_ was the problem when he smelled something. Turning to face the rest of the ship, he raised his nose and sniffed the air. There it was. A sharp, new smell raised in the air. Looked like there was a new arrival coming to the shop. The totetsu glanced back at Count D, debating with himself, then finally said, "There's a new arrival, Count."

D turned his upper body to see T-Chan, keeping one hand on the ship's wheel. His smile was his usual smirk, but his eyes were unfocused and sad, contradicting the rest of his features. "That's very good news. Would you go welcome them, and tell them I am here when they are ready to meet me?"

"Sure thing Count," the totetsu replied, frowning even more at the absent look on the shopkeeper's face. Before LA, D would have gone to meet the new arrival right away, but now, he preferred to stay at the wheel, even though no steering was necessary on this boat. However, T-Chan still turned and began to follow the newcomer's scent. It was oddly familiar, but at the same time, unlike anything he knew.

(time jump)

He reached the back of the boat, growling in annoyance. The new arrival hadn't been spotted anywhere yet, and his patience was nearly at its end. Luckily, the scent's strength here told him that the newbie wasn't too far behind the ship.

Placing a hand over his eyes to keep the surprisingly bright moonlight out of them, he scanned the horizon. A sudden movement caught his eye. He locked onto it as the object flew closer. When he could finally discern its features, his jaw dropped. "Well, I'll be damned…"

The new arrival finally reached the ship, dropping onto the deck and sprawling in an exhausted fashion. T-Chan checked his face. The idiot had passed out, apparently, and there was no mistaking that face. T-Chan grinned.

"Maybe all that the Count needed was a new pet…"

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Leon Orcot closed his eyes for what he thought was the last time… then surprised himself as they blinked open again. He squinted against the bright… moonlight? 'What the heck! Wasn't it just raining?' he thought to himself. Sitting up, Leon found himself lying on something big and fluffy. He looked around in surprise. Clouds? And the moon? He looked around again and shrugged. Falling back onto his back, resting his hands behind his head, he chuckled.

"Well, if this is heaven, this ain't so bad!" he said aloud to himself. Then he stopped and furrowed his brow. "Whoa, dejavu!" And his conclusion wasn't far off when he thought of the circumstances.

"Hey… this is almost exactly how I saw D's magic boat that first time!" Realization kicked in, and Leon shot back up into a sitting position. He looked around with wide eyes, not even daring to hope that-

There it was. The ship he had searched so long for, sailing across the clouds, bathed in moonlight. He looked at it, bug-eyed, afraid to blink or it would disappear. When it didn't he began to run towards it. His feet felt the soft cottony but silky clouds beneath him as he padded towards the boat. To his surprise, so did his hands.

Stopping and checking himself, he realized he had been walking on all fours. And what was even stranger was, it worked. There was no clumsy, rear-in-the-air shuffle to it; instead, it was a strong, steady gait.

Leon shrugged it off; it was probably some weird thing that happened when he reached D's little "world," and he'd ask when he reached the ship.

And speaking of the ship… It was sailing away!

Leon leapt back into running, going as fast as he could to catch up to the ship, but it was going faster than he.

Wait…

Leon _could_ go faster. He felt the wind flicker over feathers and muscle on his back that he didn't remember having before, and angling these new bodily additions, took off from the clouds, flapping furiously. He ignored the oddness of it all; the wings sprouting from his back, the long, tufted tail, sprouting from the base of his spine, the pair of furred ears peeking out of his hair. After all, he was dealing with Count D here. _He_ would have all the answers.

As he neared the ship, he saw someone on deck staring at him. Leon frowned, sweating from the new exertion of flying. D said that humans weren't _allowed_ on the ship… hadn't gained passage yet. So what was this, this _stranger_ doing? Then he realized, that person, he wasn't human. After all, humans did not have fangs and claws and big, curly goat horns and-

Awww SHIT! Leon groaned to himself. It's that damn goat-tiger. How he knew, he couldn't tell. Luckily, T-Chan didn't seem annoyed or angry. In fact, he had a huge, idiotic fanged grin pasted on his face.

Finally, Leon found himself collapsing on the deck, limbs splayed everywhere and his wings lying at awkward angles. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. Even if D tried to push him off again, Leon would just fly back. D can't get rid of him now. Leon intended to find out everything, 'cause-

"Maybe all the Count needed was a new pet…" a voice rang into his thoughts. He opened his eyes and stood up unsteadily on two legs. T-Chan leapt backwards, surprised. He thought Leon was asleep. Leon grinned at the wild-looking boy.

"Hey goat-tiger." He panted as he caught his breath. "Miss me?"

"Nah, not really." But the goat-tiger still had that idiotic grin glued to his face.

Leon looked around. "Wait- where's D?"

T-Chan shrugged. "Up at the front of the ship, steering." He looked Leon over with a critical eye. "But before you see him, you should _definitely _get some rest. You look like shit.

"But-!" Leon tried to protest, but the goat-tiger had already turned around and called out to someone.

"Hey! Totem! C'mere for a second!"

Leon looked, and from the nearest cabin emerged a tall, handsome Indian man. He wore a deerskin robe that ran from his waist to his ankles. (To Leon it looked like a dress, but since he remembered his run-ins with D's china cups, he kept his mouth shut.) His arms ended in slightly pointed stubs instead of hands, and his forearms curved like clay that had been rolled for too long. His feet only had four toes each with long sharp nails on each; three in the front and one in the back. His nose seemed too big for his face, and it curved out like a beak. However, it was his skin that really caught the eye. Nearly every inch of visible skin had a tattoo on it. All over his chest, back, arms, shaved head, and even his face had some little piece of color on it.

Totem gave a grin as Leon tried to stop gaping. "Yeah, I get that a lot." He slung one curved arm around Leon's shoulders. "Welcome to Count D's petshop, my friend!" His accent was… Well, Leon decided to be ruthlessly blunt. His accent was _weird!_ It sounded Canadian and Caribbean and Southern and Indian all at once!

While Leon tried to figure out how this was possible, T-Chan did some talking with Totem.

"Yeah, so could you just, ya know, show him around? Find a nice room he'll fit well in? I'll go tell D the new arrival's here. Oh, and make sure he gets some sleep," the totetsu added with a glance at Leon, "'cause he looks awful."

Totem laughed and began to half drag half carry Leon towards the cabins. "I'm sure the petshop has already made accommodations for the new one!"

As they passed the cabin doors, Leon blinked back into reality. Or out of it. Whichever one you prefer.

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa! Wait up just a second!" Obediently, Totem stopped and Leon fell flat on his face. Sitting up in a crouching, all-fours position, he looked at Totem. The strange man was just grinning at him.

"What is it, new one?"

Leon scowled, trying not to snap about his new nickname. "I need some answers."

"Well then," Totem replied, scooping him back onto his feet and dragging him along again, "walk while you talk. Ask away."

"Alright." Looking around, Leon shot his first question. "What the heck is up with this room?"

Leon's confusion was well placed; the room Totem had dragged him into was a huge oriental decorated room. Leon would've expected this of D, but what he didn't expect were staircases going everywhere. And I mean everywhere! They crawled up walls, formed upside-down rafters, sloping in loops, and slugging to stops in front of numerous, festively carved doors. As strange as this sight was, it was only made crazier by the hustle and bustle of hundreds of animal-humans making their ways from one door to another, often stopping to talk with other animals on the way. Leon sat with his jaw dropped in awe as Totem explained.

"This room, or hallway, or staircase, or whatever you'd like to call it is the main socializing room in the petshop. It's a good start for finding you a new room while you're here."

"A room…?" Leon gaped, then blinked. "That reminds me; what did you mean by the petshop making accommodations for me?"

Totem winked as they began to walk up a set of steps. "Wishes bring us here, and turn us into dreams. As dreams, we stay here and exist until someone desires us. The ship senses the wish, and creates a room or designates a room to the product of the wish; us."

Leon stared at a set of finned men with large flaps of skin hanging down from their throats. Every once in awhile, one of them would make a "BURAPP!" sound, and the flap would inflate into a huge bubble before deflating. He blinked in surprise as something in Totem's answer clicked in his brain, and turned back to the other pet. "But wait… So, who's 'wish' am I?"

Totem shrugged. "It could be anyone, even someone who doesn't exist yet could've wished for you." He gave an enthusiastic thump to his chest. "Take me for example. I used to be the Great Firebird, perched atop a totem pole up in the north. Then one day, a young man was praying for a sign in front of the totem pole and I felt a strange tickling in my feathers. I opened my wings," here, he spread his handless arms in expression, "and found they weren't wooden anymore. I flew off, and found the petshop. I knew this was where I was supposed to go."

Leon puzzled over Totem's story. "What happened to the guy who was praying?"

Totem gave another grin. "He ran and told his tribe about my flight, and when they found I was truly gone, they named him the next chief. Translated literally, his name meant "flies with Firebird".

Leon tried to remember if he had heard about this. "How long have you been here?"

Totem shrugged. "A couple hundred years, human-wise." When Leon stared at him in disbelief, he added, "Time goes slower on the ship, so I haven't been here for that long, really."

"oh." Leon couldn't think of anything to reply to that with, so he jumped into another question. "How's D? I haven't seen him since I last visited the shop, and that was a long time ago." He paused, and as an afterthought, added, "Human-wise."

Totem stopped in front of a large door. He glanced back at Leon, a confused frown making its way onto his face. "You've… visited the shop before?"

Leon nodded. "Yeah, back in LA. I used to visit a lot." He pointed to the door. "Um, are we going in there?"

Totem glanced at the door, then back to Leon. "In just a minute. I think I have a couple of questions of my own." He pulled Leon back into a small alcove to the side of the door, out of the hustle and bustle of the multiple stairwells.

"So…" Totem started, fixing Leon with a strange look, "you've visited the shop before."

"Yes." Leon replied, wishing his new friend would get to the point. "Why, is their something wrong?" Suddenly, he was worried. How could he be back for only two minutes and have already done something wrong?

Totem shook his head. "No, nothing _wrong…_" he replied, relieving Leon. "I'm just… _surprised_ that D would let you slip out of his grasp." He cast another, studying glance over Leon. "After all, something as rare as you doesn't come around often."

'Wha? But humans come to D's petshop all the time!' Leon thought. Out loud, he said just, "Really?"

Totem nodded, keeping his eyes on Leon. "How did you come to the ship now?"

"Um, I really don't know," Leon admitted. "I was sitting in some forsaken alleyway, sure I was going to die, I blink, and suddenly I'm on some cloud. Some weird things happened, and I flew here."

Totem raised a tattooed eyebrow. "What kind of weird things?"

"Um, let's see…" Leon counted them off on his fingers as he said them. "I had a tail, and wings, and I was funning on all-fours… uh, I was running on clouds too, but that happened last time I saw the boat, so-"

"Wait, wait wait wait. You've seen the boat before too?" Totem threw his stubbed arms into the air. "Why on Earth didn't you stay the first time!"

Leon frowned. "I would have, but D pushed me off the boat. He said something about humans not having passage or something."

"Humans?" Something seemed to click in Totem's mind, and he matched Leon eye for eye. "You were a human?"

When Leon nodded, Totem's face split back into a grin. "Well, that explains everything!"

"_THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!"_ squawked a voice in their ears. Leon leapt a foot into the air, spinning to face the person whose screech it was.

A teenager stood next to them. She had long, red and blue hair, and bright black eyes. She wore a long rainbow colored dress made entirely of soft feathers. The top half of her face was covered by a golden mask that had two oval holes for her eyes and a long hook that came over her nose and ended after curving down about an inch away from her lip. It resembled a large, thick beak. A cheeky smile slid over her lips as she cocked her head to one side, eyes twinkling with mischief. She giggled.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She took a step closer, her long dress swaying over her tanned Jamaican skin. "So, you're the newbie, huh?" she asked, casting a curious glance over Leon. She grinned even more widely. "You're cute!"

Leon blinked and glanced over at Totem. The Indian man crossed his arms over his chest and looked disapprovingly at the girl.

"Now Tikari, we are trying to make him feel at home, not scare him to death!" he scolded gently. Tikari just giggled again.

"But he needs to get used to it eventually!"

Totem gave a mock frown and shooed her away. "Go on, go on, go talk with the other chatting birds!" Good-naturedly, she winked at Leon, giggled, then hurried off. Totem turned to see Leon, who had finally gotten his heart rate back to norm. "Don't mind her, she's little more than a hatchling." Leon only nodded, and Totem led them back to the door. "Now, let's see what the petshop's prepared for you."

Totem pulled the door open just wide enough for him and Leon to slip through. Leon gasped.

They were sitting on a plain, a huge savannah, with golden grass swaying gently in the night breeze. Leon took a deep breath through his nose, surprised by its sudden sensitivity, and pleasantly delighted by the soft scent of earth and air. He turned his head to look at Totem.

"Where are we?" he asked, his head spinning from it all.

"Your new home," Totem replied, taking a good look around. "The petshop has done a good job, as always."

One of Leon's ears twitched to shake off a piece of dust that had blown onto it. Which made Leon wonder… "Where is the wind coming from?"

Totem was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. Leon frowned. What was so funny? Was it something he said? His frown quickly turned into a scowl. He _hated_ it when he thought someone was laughing at him!

Totem saw Leon's scowl and stopped laughing. Smiling gently, he explained, "Don't take this the wrong way, new one, but I wonder at the mind that can take such a transformation as yours in its stride, and yet, when faced with this," he waved one hand at the savannah, "only then do you begin to pick details!"

Leon glared pointedly at the ground. "It's not that I don't have questions," he said, snapping more than he would have liked. "It's just that so much stuff is happening I can't keep up with it!"

Totem nodded sympathetically. "That happens to all the new reincarnates. If you have any questions, you can ask nearly anyone in the shop. They may not all be polite, but you'll get your answer. One way or another."

Leon looked back up at Totem, only to see that the Indian man had disappeared. So had the door.

Leon looked around again. So, this was his new room, huh? He took another deep breath. It was nice.

He dropped to all fours and trotted across the field to a tree. He curled up in a little hollow in the roots, realizing how tired he was, and began to doze off. A lazy, contented smile spread over his lips, and the roaring questions in his head quieted until it was a dull buzz, and a thought wriggled through his sleepy mind.

'I made it.'

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Hmm… Six pages, not bad.

I reformatted the prologue. Thank you Hekelachan for the suggestion, and reviewing seriously.

R&R


	3. A Surprise

I don't own Petshop of Horrors.

Chapter 2 of Angel-Puss

T-Chan made his way around the cabins. It took longer to get to the front of the boat, but it was quieter. It gave him a chance to think. Now that Leon was back, although in a different form, would D automatically feel better? He hoped that would be the case. He scowled. He _also_ hoped that the bone-headed former detective had gotten less insensitive since they last saw him. The totetsu swore he'd eat that dumbass if he did something stupid and hurt the Count. After all, when the Count let Leon go, he knew he'd suffer an eternity without his 'Pet' human. That stupid blonde should've only suffered a few weeks, a few _months_ at most, before letting go. After all, humans were so easily changeable.

This thought stopped the totetsu dead in his tracks.

If humans were so changeable, why had Leon ended up here? D could not have called or summoned him; he could only give animals the choice. Life outside, or life inside? Some animals were too proud or too scared to give up their "freedom".

T-Chan knew this from experience. After all, he had been the same way before he was caught by the police trying to eat Count D. He was scared at first to go to the petshop, even after the Kami's visit to the jail. However, freedom wasn't much when you're strapped in a straight-jacket for at least 23 hours per day. So he had cast the human shell aside and slunk into the petshop, tail between his legs, and not expecting to be forgiven without a serious reprimand. However, Count D had been truthful; there were no hard feelings and the food did come right to him. And, as a bonus, D had a freshly killed human that he presented T-Chan with. It was some kid, and T-Chan didn't even bother to ask who it might have been. This had been quite a treat for the half starved totetsu.

T-Chan remembered he wasn't moving, and began to scamper on his way again.

When T-Chan first came to the petshop, he felt… welcome. Everyone had done their best to help him fit in, and after swallowing his pride, he took to it like a duck to water.

And now it was his turn to help a new arrival, and D, all in one go.

After walking the rest of the way to the front of the boat, thinking of what else could be done, he finally reached the distracted Kami. His nose was assaulted by a sharp, metallic smell, and he blinked in surprise. His eyes quickly narrowed as he focused on the source of the smell. A small pool of silvery-red liquid that was Kami blood slowly grew as more blood slowly dripped down the ship's wheel from D's unattended hand.

T-Chan suppressed a snarl. If that human had suffered Hell on Earth to get here, he didn't think it would amount to half of what D had suffered because of that human. Really, T-Chan didn't think the bone-head deserved D as a friend or… otherwise. T-Chan knew that there was a significant chance of their 'acquaintance' traveling into the 'otherwise' category. He hoped it would be 'master and pet', and not-

T-Chan shuddered.

"Hey Count!" The Count looked over his shoulder and smiled at the totetsu.

"The new arrival is here?"

"Yeah." T-Chan gave a vague wave to D's hand. "I think you should see to your hand first off, though."

D glanced with some surprise at his hand. "Oh dear." With his good hand, he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the blood on his hand. "I'll do that." He began to walk off, then stopped and looked back. "T-Chan, would you..?"

T-Chan nodded. "Yeah, I'll clean up here."

D gave a small, knowing smile, (the first T-Chan had seen in a long time,) and walked off to his chambers. T-Chan looked down at the pool of blood and licked his lips. Kami blood was quite a treat, and it was sweeter than any chocolate.

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As D walked out of his room, his nearly healed hand neatly bandaged, he began a little guessing game. The newcomer…

Was he a fish?

A reptile?

Perhaps he was a bird! Tikari could use another friend. D smiled fondly. Or… perhaps it was not a he. _She _could be a mermaid, or- we'll leave the Count to his guessing game for a moment to explain. It made life in the petshop so much more interesting for him to play a little guessing game every time he had a new arrival. In addition, it testedhisknowledge of all existinganimals, which was quite vast.Along his way to visit this particular arrival, animals stopped and dropped him hints to humor his game. They always seemed to know exactly which clues had already been used, for none were repeated.

"It's a he!"

"He's very handsome."

"I heard from one of the parakeets that he's very inquisitive."

"He's sleeping now, but he should wake up soon."

"Some of the other pets say he looks familiar."

'Not very much to work with so far,' D mulled, and as if the animals could sense this thought, the clues began to change.

"The petshop put him in Anya and Arianna's room!"

Ah, the savannah then. That narrowed it down.

"He's got beautiful fur!"

Probably not a bird or reptile then.

"There's a gorgeous pair of white wings on his back!"

… scratch not being a bird.

Perhaps a griffin?

"He's got four sturdy big paws."

Nope, not a griffin.

Besides, now that he thought about it, griffins preferred aerie. Maybe he was an Indian spirit creature like Totem.

"He has white skin and gold fur."

Or, maybe not.

"He has these huge white pointy teeth!"

A carnivore. Hmmm, he only knew about one main carnivore that could live on the savannah that could fit a few of those descriptions. Eagerly, he asked the next passing animal, "Is he a sphinx?"

The animal he had asked was a young skunk. He looked about thirteen years old, and had black and white stripes running up and down his waist-long hair. He had sharp features and a sly look, and a mysterious glint appeared in his eyes as he smiled a fanged smile and shook his head.

"Sorry Count D, 'e's a lil' rarer 'n that."

The count frowned a moment, then an almost awed look passed over his face.

"He's not… a _Golden Lion?"_

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"Hey… Hey, wake up! C'mon, or I'll let sis wake you…"

Leon groaned and rolled onto his other side, away from the voice. It sighed. "I did warn you." Sounds of footsteps going away. Leon smiled and snuggled into his little hollow. It was nice here. Not like all the cities he had been to. It wasn't loud or polluted or crazy… well, maybe it was a _little_ crazy, but that's what you get when you deal with D. But besides all that, it was all peace, quiet, and gentle sereni-

"YO! LION BOY! MOVE YER HAUNCHES!"

Leon started and snapped up, successfully bumping his head on tree roots at least twice before sitting up and staring stupidly at the person who woke him.

'What the-' was his first thought as he took a good look at the girl in front of him.

She had bristling sandy hair that blew around in the breeze. It was just long enough to tell him that she was a girl. Her golden eyes gleamed dangerously. She had a wild, fierce look about her, something untamed and ancient…

Then Leon blinked and realized that the girl looked only about five years old.

The girl grinned, and Leon noted her _very_ long canines. "About time! So, you're our new roommate, eh?" She leaned forward and sniffed. "You smell familiar…"

"You don't remember him?" another almost identical voice asked. Leon looked at the other girl nearby. She looked exactly the same, except for the fact that her hair came down to her waist.

Leon felt like he was watching a ping-pong match as the two girls talked quickly.

"Should I remember?"

"I would hope so. Don't you remember how we got here?"

" 'course I do! D brought us here when we stowed away in his suitcase!"

"No, I mean why we were in that suitcase stowing away in the first place."

"Oh, you mean… about Papa."

"Yes, Papa."

"Well, what about him? Not to be disrespectful, but I don't see what he has to do with-" Suddenly, the short-haired twin's eyes widened. "Wait, he's not…"

The long-haired twin nodded, and they both turned to stare at Leon; one solemnly, the other in utter surprise.

Leon shuffled nervously, until he remembered that _they_ were the five year olds, not him. He cleared his throat. "I'm not what?" he asked. The long-haired twin shot a warning glance to the other, but the short-haired twin was already glaring daggers at Leon.

"You're the _idiot_ that shot an animal in the presence of a _Kami,_ and not just _any_ animal, but the one that the honorable Count was _mourning,_ AND our _FATHER!"_ She took a step forward, looking quite menacing for a kid, with her eyes and sharp-looking teeth. A set of claws shot from her nails and glinted dangerously.

"I shot…?" Leon didn't recall shooting any of D's animals… but then again…

"What was your Papa's name?" he asked the calmer of the twins, who was trying to pacify her sister. She turned to him.

"Papa's name was Kenshiko."

He knew that name, somewhere in that thick skull of his, he knew it was floating around-

Click.

"Are you two saber-tooth tigers?" he asked. The twins stared at him.

"You can't see us?" the calm one asked. When Leon looked confused, she clarified. "Our true form. I suppose you wouldn't yet, seeing as you just arrived here, and you were a human too. Most humans can only see one or the other, but once you've been here awhile, you'll be able to see both." She smiled kindly. "And yes, we are sabers."

Leon stared at the two girls, trying to picture the two cubs D had held in that bizarre dream at the museum. "What're your names?"

"I'm Anya, and this is Arianna," the calm girl replied. The other one was still staring at Leon as though she'd like nothing better than to rip his throat out, but her claws had retracted. Good sign.

"Um…" he couldn't think of what to say. "I shot your dad?" Yeah, that was really comforting. Brilliant, Orcot.

Arianna looked like she was about to snap at him, when suddenly, her ears perked up. So did Anya's and Leon was going to question them, when he felt a bristling on the back of his neck. He began to feel excited, and looked around to see what could be causing this.

"The Count is coming."

Leon looked at the twins, who were staring into the distance. Anya continued. "He's probably coming to meet you. Come Arianna, we'll talk to him later."

Arianna gave Leon a glare that said, 'You're not off the hook yet,' then dropped to all fours and she and her sister ran off.

And for just a second, Leon saw two saber-tooth tigers racing away, beautiful, wild and golden against the rising sun.

He turned, and wasn't surprised to see that a large door had materialized behind the tree. He sat back, hands behind his head, and waited.

It was time to meet D.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A Golden Lion! D could barely contain his excitement as he scurried down the hallways as fast as was dignified. Something this rare hadn't come to the shop since the Kirrin's arrival!

A Golden Lion. Such a rare species, popping up for no reason at all throughout history. They were born from brave, courageous spirits that had died without fulfilling their self-proclaimed purpose. Kind of a fallen warrior, if you will. Supposedly, to their enemies, they were fierce as the entirety of nature's wrath unleashed, but to their friends, they were as docile as a kitten.

And then there were the things that separated the Golden Lions from each other. When they were reborn as Golden Lions, they supposedly gained one physical alternate from another animal off of being a lion that would aid them in fulfilling their purpose. In some cases, he had heard that the alternate could change if the Lion changed its goal.

Of course, even as old as D was, he had never seen a Golden Lion. All he knew about them had come from his Grandfather. And now, the petshop was home to one! D barely refrained from skipping to remind himself that the Golden Lion would have to leave eventually in order to complete his purpose. With this thought, he approached the door to the savannah. Smiling truthfully with a face reserved only for his pets, he pushed open the door, walked in, and bowed to the golden creature.

"I am Count D, and I humbly welcome you to my petshop," here he paused to look up at the creature, "Golden… _Leon!"_

"Yo, Count," Leon replied, waving idly and not bothering to hide the huge grin on his face as he watched rare surprise cross the Count's face. "How've ya been?"

"Wha- you, but how-?" the Count spluttered, trying to form a coherent thought that wasn't 'Oh my God, it's Leon!'

Said creature was grinning widely enough to split his face. Speechlessness was not becoming on D, but it was funny. "Hey D, you gonna say anything?"

D opened and closed his mouth a couple of times like a fish out of water, then closed it and adopted a bemused look. After a moment of studying Leon, he gave his mysterious, eyes half-closed smile.

"I do believe we have some catching up to do. Would you like some tea?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I am SOOOO sorry for the length of time between updates! Between problems in school, a lack of communication from some of my editing friends, and a lack of time, I haven't been able to work much on this. I am terribly sorry, but I am hoping that now its summer, I'll be updating more regularly. Again, I'm terribly sorry!

I'll answer the reviews you so kindly gave me now.

Hedi Dracona: Very close, but not quite. A lot of people guessed a griffin though.

Yami no Kaze: Again, sorry about update time. And no, he's not a griffin.

Shadewanderer: And yet, I have left you in even more suspense about how he'll react. Answers: A and B. My chapter was fun? Good! After all, the enjoyment of the reader is the most important thing! Thank you!

Pirosan.hack: It's alright. Thanks for the review!

Hekelachan: Thanks for the site. And as to your nitpick, I'll answer that shortly.

Yako: Yeah, Leon's a little more opened minded now. D's full reaction soon to come!

Bluephoenix17: I was in shock when I read your review. How _ever_ did you guess? Congratulations! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

AnimeJo: Ah yes, the possibilities… giggles evilly And now you know what he is! Kind of… more information later!

Christy: Totem was a lot of fun to make… though I seem to find myself straying towards birds a little too much… maybe it's just me. So terribly sorry for making you wait, but now you know what Leon is!

Pass the Broccolini: Will do!

VampireGirlKyra: I love doing the descriptions myself. And Q-Chan being a she was my mistake… I'll explain that in a moment. Sorry again for the long update time!

Rayz: Just did!

Sue: I apologize again for my lateness. D's reaction will be… amusing, to say the least, I assure you.

Laia: Hmmm… I hadn't thought that far into the future yet… But I suppose at one point, he will have to be. _That_ will be fun to write. And my writing is energetic? Thank you, you flatter me.

As for Q-Chan… it doesn't bother me, but it wasn't a typo. It was a little mistake on my part, which I will explain now.

**CONCERNING Q-CHAN!**

I have read all of the Petshop books currently published in America, and I do know that Q-Chan is the first Count D, our Count D's grandfather. However, I thought I'd take a glitch from the fourth book with the vampire and use it to my advantage. On the last page of that story, there is a female sitting on the couch above Leon, and a magnifying glass to show a bat-like creature. I thought it was Q-Chan. I didn't look at the bottom of the page and notice that Q-Chan is sitting plain as day on Count D's shoulder. However recently, I re-read the story in book eight I think about the twins, and Hon-Lon said that _SHE_ was under a spell that _SHE_ put on_ HER_self, which only confused me more. So, for the rest of this story, Q-Chan will be my little piece of AU, as VampireGirlKyra suggested. She will be a girl, and she is not D's grandfather. She may not even play a large part, and this may not even matter. Sorry if I confused anyone.

In fact, I think I may have confused myself even more.

Goodnight all, and thank you for reading!


	4. The Reunion

Angelpuss

Disclaimer: I don't own Petshop of Horrors.

"So you've been searching for little old me all these years? You flatter me, detective."  
"Yeah... And stop calling me detective! I quit, remember."  
"Ah yes."  
Silence as the two sipped their tea.  
"Well, you're taking this well."  
"I am taking what well, Mr. Dete- Mr. Orcot?"  
"This. All of it. Me comin' back and all." Leon paused, then added. "And don't call me Mr. Orcot either."  
"Well then, what should I call you?"  
"Leon! Geeze, it's my name, use it."  
"Alright then Leon. How am I taking this so well?"  
"I mean, you're just sitting here, drinking tea like nothing happened. How can you be so calm?"  
D took a sip of his tea. "Oh, quite the contrary. I'm actually quite rattled."  
"Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it."  
"I suppose so."  
Leon studied the man in front of him. D sat on his oriental couch in the tea-room, sipping his tea from a small cup and staring right back at him under lowered eyelashes, sizing him up but not judging him as he used to. Back when he was human.  
Abruptly, Leon set his cup down, and D looked up at him in surprise. Leon leaned forward.  
"D, you wouldn't know what was going on, would you?" D blinked in surprise.  
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Leon," D replied.  
"Damn." Leon leaned back, frowning.  
"Language, Leon," scolded D gently.  
Leon rolled his eyes, but he grinned despite himself. "I'm sure T-Chan says worse."  
D raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps, but it's certainly nothing he picked up from me." He took another sip of his tea. "And since when were you and T-Chan on name terms?"  
"Since he was actually decent to me when I got here," Leon replied. There was a silence for a moment, then Leon hesitantly asked, "So… you really don't know what's going on? With me being here and all? 'Cause, Hell, I don't even know what I _am_!"  
D looked at Leon for a long moment, his eyes holding the tiniest traces of laughter, sadness, pity and even- here, Leon thought he might be imagining things,- fear?  
Finally, D closed his eyes, set his cup delicately on the table and gave a sigh. He opened his eyes and leaned ever-so-slightly towards Leon, like he was going to impart some amazing secret. Leon found himself leaning in as well.  
"You," D said in a voice that was just over a whisper, "are a member of a very rare species, known as the Golden Lions. Your species are souls that come back to life to complete some unfinished business, so to speak. However, that is all I know. I have never met another one of your kind, so I have no answers for you." He reclined back onto his chair, watching carefully for Leon's reaction.  
Leon frowned, pondering as he looked into his teacup. After a minute, his head snapped back up and he locked eyes with D. "What do you think?"  
D had a hard time answering as he stared into two sky-blue orbs. They were beautiful, he decided, like precious sapphires were beautiful to humans… and they seemed to have a sort of… mesmerizing… effect…  
Leon.  
Leon had asked a question. D yanked himself out of the sea of blue he had found himself drowning in and focused on the present. Leon had asked him a question. What had it been?  
Ah yes.  
"What do I think? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." He dropped his eyes to his tea as he took a sip, for fear of loosing himself in his- no, the lion's eyes again.  
Leon rolled his eyes. "What else _could_ I be talking about?"  
D smiled mischievously. _This_ was a game he could play. "Well, you could have been asking about a great deal of things, such as what I thought about you being here, what I think the other pets will think of you, how-"  
"Alright, alright, I get it. It was a stupid question. What I meant was, what do you think my purpose is? What "unfinished business" do I have to finish? Why did I come back?"  
D gave a look of thoughtful surprise. "I'm not sure. I think, however, that it might have something to do with Chris and the rest of your family. After all, from what you've told me, you seem to have disappeared from their lives."  
'And besides,' he told himself bitterly before he could stop himself, 'he couldn't have come back for me.'  
Leon had a thoughtful look on his face. "That could be it." He grinned. "Thanks, Count!"  
The count gave a small, almost shy-looking smile. "Anytime, Leon." They sat in silence for a little while, sipping their tea.  
Leon spoke again. "Um, I promised I'd talk with the twins, so…" The count smiled again.  
"Ah, so you're waiting to be excused?" he chuckled. "Seeing as the petshop is your home for now, you may come and go from nearly all the rooms as you please."  
Leon stood. "Alright then." He paused, as if he was about to add something else, but then just walked out the door, calling, "See you later then."  
D waited until Leon was definitely gone before quickly tidying up the tea table and heading for the records room. As he entered the dusty study, an old yellow tabby opened one gray eye and glanced at him. She closed the eye and sat up, stretching her forelegs and giving a great yawn. She sat up tall and looked over at the count, who was literally throwing himself at a pile of documents and old books as he searched for something.  
"What are you looking for?" she asked, her voice reminding one of an old, strict, lady teacher.  
"Hmm? Oh, Magistra, I didn't see you there," the count said as he peered over his shoulder at her. "I trust you are well?"  
"I am fine, as always." She gracefully leapt off her precarious perch of leaning books and slid over to where the count was digging through a pile of papers. "What are you looking for? Maybe I can be of assistance."  
"I'm looking for that encyclopedia of rare creatures. The one with the red cloth binding and gold bands."  
"Yes, I know that one. It's over there, evening out that table." She walked over to a large, black wood table and pointed with one paw to the book, solidly placed underneath the shortened table leg. D stared with dismay first at the book, then at the table, and finally at the huge mess of documents and books piled up on top of it. He looked back to the cat.  
"Good luck!" she chuckled as she slipped through the doorway. D sighed.  
"I'll need it," he decided aloud to himself as he set to work.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Leon wandered around the petshop, trying to find the savannah. He made an effort to keep his bearings, but since doors seemed to disappear and re-appear at will, it wasn't very easy. On the up side, however, nearly all of the pets were being decent to him, claiming that they had met his brother during his stay at the petshop. It was nice to have some kind of connection with the rest of the animals.  
Leon cautiously opened another door to see a large, sunny-looking beach. Stepping onto the hot golden sands, he looked at the array of chaos around him. Animals were everywhere, tumbling, digging, rolling, running, and playing in the sand. But that was just on the beach. Out in the ocean, the water churned and frothed as all kinds of aquatic animals swam around, partaking in a variety of water games. For a brief moment, as he watched, he remembered that he had not always been part of the animal's world, D's world, and he felt alone. Once he was human, and this would've baffled him beyond belief. But, he shook the feeling off quickly.  
'Now this is _not_ what I would've suspected in D's petshop,' he thought to himself as he looked out onto the chaotic and playful confusion running rampant everywhere. A few large palm trees housed some tropically dressed people. Most of them were girls, and each had feathers woven somewhere into their outfits. Leon spotted Tikari in one of the trees and waded into the masses of animals to go and talk to her. As he walked, he realized that the other pets seemed to shrink back from him. He glanced around. The other pets didn't even seem to notice he was there, so how could they be avoiding him? He shrugged it off, and used his favorite excuse. 'D'll have all the answer-'  
Oh wait. D himself had admitted that he didn't know anything about the situation… which meant he'd have to find out everything for himself.  
Well, good thing he was a detective, then.  
For now, he decided to be glad he wasn't getting pummeled in the melee, and continued towards Tikari to talk to the parrot.  
He reached the base of the tree and looked up, frowning. Now, how was he going to get up there?  
He thought for a moment, then remembered. He had a pair of wings on his back! He nearly slapped himself for being so stupid as he opened his wings and lightly flew up next to Tikari. Alighting on the branch next to the bird-girl, he became puzzled when she just kept chattering. He called her name, and when he got no response, he waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello, anyone home?"  
When she kept talking with her friends, he sat back, confused. Could they really not see or hear him?  
He spotted another door and leapt off the branch, making it shake. He left Tikari and her friends baffled and glided over through the door.  
Now he found himself back in the staircase room, and in the far reaches of it, he could see the large decorated door that lead to the savannah. Lifting off, he tried to fly over to the door… and immediately wished that he hadn't. Since it was nearly impossible to tell which way was 'up,' he was having a hard time orienting himself and keeping his balance. As he careened through the staircases, he was really quite glad that no one could see him. He would have looked like ten kinds of a fool.  
After an extremely klutzy landing, he walked the rest of the way to the door, and headed on in.  
'Thank God!' he thought as he looked around the more familiar territory of the savannah.  
"Yo."  
Leon jumped a foot at the voice behind him. Spinning around, he found himself looking down at a saber-tooth five-year-old. She was looking around, her eyes betraying her annoyance. "Geeze, lion-boy, how'd you pull a disappearing act?"  
She had called him Lion-boy. And she had short hair. Leon cursed his luck. Of course he had to run into the one that hated his guts. "I really don't know. Is your sister around?" Maybe the other saber could help…  
The young tiger didn't answer for a bit. She just kept looking around. Leon was about to speak again when she cut him off. "Aren't you gonna say something?"  
"I _am_ saying something!" Leon half screamed. "Why can't you hear me?"  
"Geeze, relax, I'm just kidding," she replied, cleaning her ear out casually with her pinky. "I can hear you just fine, so cool it."  
He sighed, plopping down next to her. "Did I really deserve that?"  
"Yes." She sat near him, squinting in his direction. "So, what's your story?"  
"I don't know," Leon replied miserably. "I had just gotten done talking with D, and suddenly- Poof! Invisible."  
Arianna squinted more. "I think I can see your outline now. What a pity."  
Leon didn't reply. He was thinking hard. It was obvious that Arianna hated him, and things might get a little dangerous with them being 'roommates,' so to speak. He sighed, and Arianna glared at him suspiciously. 'Hm, I must be visible again,' Leon thought as he decided what to say.  
"Look… Arianna, I'm really, _really_ sorry about killing your dad. I didn't realize… D was in danger, and… I know this is a lame apology, but… if there's any way I can make it up to you…"  
The second the last statement came out of his mouth, Arianna's expression changed from glaring anger to mischievous grin. Leon realized that that had been what she was waiting for.  
"Any way, huh?" she asked slyly. "Well, I can think of two things. How about I tell you, and you choose?" Her grin looked almost like a leer now.  
Leon barely kept from cringing, reminding himself that it was a five-year-old, for God's sake. He had a feeling that he may regret this, though. "All right, what are my choices?"  
"First choice," she held up one finger, "you agree to help me with some target practice any time I want. Or second choice," she added another finger, "you foster."  
Leon blinked in surprise. "I what?"  
"You foster." She crossed her arms. "You know, like foster parents? You took our dad away, so you should take care of us in his stead."  
Leon weighed his options. Target practice sounded easier… but he hated owing someone something, and he knew deep down that there was no way target practice would repair the damage he had done by taking their father. Besides, if he chose target practice, he would only be making it up to Arianna. What about her sister, Anya? It seemed that, for all the difficulties he was sure it would include, fostering the twins was the better choice.  
"I'll be your foster parent then," he told the saber, trying not to sound like he didn't like kids. The cub frowned.  
"Damnit, and I really needed a target for target practice!"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

D heaved a sigh of relief as he finally pulled the red covered book out from under the table leg, no longer in any danger of being at the bottom of a book and paper avalanche. The records room looked decidedly neater, he decided as he took the precious book to the only real private rooms in the petshop; his quarters.  
He sat down in a large armchair in his bedroom and opened the book. 'Now, let's see what we can find out about the detective,' he thought as he opened the book.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I love you all for sticking with me for so long! I'm terribly sorry about not posting for over a year; I hit a slump, and by the time I got back to the fanfiction world, I had other ideas I wanted to make use of. But now, I'm back and I've got plenty of ideas to keep this story going! Thank you all again for inspiring me to continue this story!

Now to answer your wonderful reviews!

VampireGirlKyra: Yes, I did make up the Golden Lion. And I'm very sorry for not updating sooner; hopefully it will be easier now that I've gotten some more ideas and I'm on a schedule at school.

hekelachan: Hello! I really do still want you to help me, but I'd understand if you weren't interested anymore. I would've sent this chapter to you, but I wanted to get it out as close to Christmas as I could, (Aka, 2:50 Dec 26)  
I did check out that site, and read that story. I thought it was funny.

Yami no Kaze: Trust me, I've had enough relaxing. I've gotten lazy.

eagle-chan: I'm glad you have such good things to say! It makes me very happy, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story as you read on!

Mus4u: And thank you for your review!

S: Here's more!

Christy: Lammasu? Varient foo lion??? I don't think I've ever heard of those, actually...  
Yes, it's simpler with Q-chan as just a winged bunny.

In the Arms of a Stranger: ...Please don't kidnap me... Puppy dog eyes Hopefully, the next chapters will be up faster.

Rayz: Here it is, although a bit of a long space between.

Caddy: Ah, the Q-chan dilemma. Thank you for that information, and here's that chapter you wanted!

Pandora de Romanus: Keeping it up!

DarkShadowArchFiend: There's more to come.

DarkRememberance: Thank you!

Random Reader: Here's your update!

Kristona: Oh, please don't die! Here's the saving update!

Tialakit: 0.0 I can tell!

IchikoKitsuneKoumori: It took longer than expected, but here it is!

Kayla: As I am addicted to fanfiction. Here is your drug!

Kaylin18: To my n01 fan! Thanks!


	5. The First Morning

Chapter 4 of Angel-Puss

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN!

D flipped through the pages, his eyes glancing over the names of fantastic creatures inked into the worn paper, searching for the golden lion. He knew he had seen it when he had once skimmed the book. It had to be in there… Ah!

Having found the chapter he was looking for, he snuggled into the comfort of his armchair and began to read.

"…" D stared in dismay at the extraordinarily short description below the entry "Golden Lion -

"_The Golden Lion is a rare breed of semi-mammals which hold an almost infinite amount of possibilities to its owner/s, due to the flexibility of both the body and mind of the creature."_

D almost snorted at that. Leon was hardly someone you'd call flexible minded.

"_The main characteristics of a Golden Lion are, of course, its lion-like appearance. What defines the Golden Lion from its less-magical cousins, however, is the vast variety of styles the Golden Lion appears in. Like the Gryphon or the Sphinx, Golden Lions often possess claws, tails, and pelt patterns similar to those on other animals, both mythical and non-mythical. The type of differences between the Lion and the Golden Lion depends on the mind of the creature, as the Golden Lion is born in order to fulfill the dying wish of the mind reincarnated into the Golden Lion's body."_

And that was it. No more than what D already knew. In fact, it was even less, since D at least knew that only humans could come back as a golden lion. He sighed and shut the book, placing it on the table as he sunk deeper into the armchair. What was he supposed to do now? The person he had been running from for nearly fifty years had dumped himself on his doorstep, and this time, there was no denying him passage. He was here for good.

Or… was he? D sat up suddenly as a thought struck him. A golden lion was born to fulfill a purpose, a wish, one might say. If D could figure out that purpose, perhaps he would be able to part ways with Leon quietly. And although a piece of him wanted Leon to stay with him in the petshop, he reasoned that it was not the logical thing to do. He had heard from his Grandfather that the longer golden lions were distracted from their goal, the more unpredictable they could get.

Ugh, an even more unruly detective. The thought of that alone was enough to make D shiver in a mixture of disgust and fear.

"I need time to think," he sighed to no one as he got ready for bed. The sun would be up soon, and it was not the brightest idea to sail across the sky in broad daylight. Even as blind as the humans were to the obvious, they would still notice something.

As he fell asleep, a stray memory rose to the surface of his thoughts. A young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, playing with a totetsu and a raccoon…

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

At that time, Leon was also getting ready for sleep. Since he was fostering Anya and Arianna now, they had agreed to share the den they lived in.

"Technically," Anya had pointed out, "our species usually live in the forests, so we don't have dens. But, since we came to the shop and found the savannah to be the most comfortable place, we stuck around and made our home here."

Fortunately, Anya had seemed pretty supportive of the idea of having Leon as a father. Leon had been worried after he had made the agreement with Arianna that Anya might get offended. After all, Leon knew that he was no father figure to begin with, and added to that was the fact that he had killed their father. It was in attempted defense of D, even though D didn't need it… but Leon didn't know that at the time…

Leon had dealt with a lot of angry families in his line of work. More than once, he had discharged his weapon in order to defend himself, ending ultimately in the death of his attacker. Those people had been sons, lovers, brothers… and fathers, like Kenshiko.

He glanced over at the twins, already asleep in their side of the small but cozy den and wondered. If he hadn't shot Kenshiko, they would have stayed back in their own time, lived, and died long before Leon was ever born. He tried to imagine life for them in the jungle, which only confused him as he tried to imagine two little girls living with a saber tooth father in the middle of a wild jungle. But, as he started to slip into the world of dreams, he began to see the vague outlines of saber tooth tigers behind the girls.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Anya was the first one to wake up the next evening, and seeing that her two den mates were still fast asleep, she quietly slipped outside to stretch. Padding gently away from the den, she picked a spot with some nice, tall grass and flopped down in it, kicking out her legs and reaching out for a stalk that danced elusively in the grass. Rolling over to her stomach, she flattened herself out and stretched, first her front legs, then her back. Shaking each leg in turn, she yawned and trotted over to the pond a little further away. Anya studied her reflection for a moment before leaning down to take a drink. As her tongue hit the water, however, something large and furry pushed her from behind, and she tumbled head over heels into the water.

Anya floundered for a moment, trying to figure out where was up, and finally pulled herself to the surface, gasping for air. As she pulled herself over to the shore and shook the water out of her fur, she could hear a harsh barking laughter. Giving one of her rare glares to the prankster, Anya began to clean her muddy wet fur.

Meanwhile, the prankster stood a fairly safe distance from the saber tooth, laughing like only hyenas can. Her tangled brown mane only got more tangled and dusty as she rolled over on her back, folding her grey paws over her stomach as she laughed. "You- you should have…" she gasped, "should have seen your _face!_" She burst into uncontrollable laughter again, not noticing a tan shadow slipping through the grass behind her. Anya stopped washing herself and watched closely, a slightly amused look on her face.

The hyena was so caught up in the aftermath of her joke that she didn't notice the shadow behind her until it was too late. As she perked her ears up and turned her head towards the slight rustle in the grass, Arianna leapt out of the tall brown grass, tackling her and, as they rolled, kicked her up into a tree branch.

Anya watched all of this with a little smirk on her face, and trotted over to congratulate her on tricking the trickster. She sat next to her sister and rubbed her head against Arianna's shoulder affectionately. "Good move, sis," she purred. Arianna just rolled her eyes.

"You should have been more careful," she scolded. "Not paying attention to things like that would get you killed out in the jungle." Anya sighed in exasperation. She had heard this so many times before. "You have to be alert when you're by yourself."

Broken laughter from the tree cut her off before she could say more. "Hahaha, you don't – ouch! You don't have to worry about that he—ooh! Here!" the hyena giggled as she tried to disentangle herself from the tree's branches. "After all, the Count—yeowch! Count looks after us!"

Arianna glared at her. "Even the Count won't be there forever," she snapped. "Even _he_ will leave the store."

The hyena's humorous countenance became serious in a blink of an eye. "And you presume you'll outlive one of the Count's line?" she asked, her grey eyes suddenly narrowed. "That's impossible, unless you're one of the immortals."

"I _know_ that!" hissed Arianna, looking hurt. "I know we're not immortals. But with the rest of our species extinct…"

"I may be a joker, but I'm no fool," the hyena replied. "Even if that time jump extended your lives, they will all end some day."

Anya looked away from the conversation, not wanting to get caught up in it. It was true; since coming to the petshop, they had lived an abnormally long time for a pair of sabers, but all life must come to an end, even that of immortals. A golden shape moving towards them from the den caught her eye, and she nudged Arianna with her paw.

"Dad's coming," she commented, watching as the golden lion emerged from the grasses. Because of how he saw himself, she hadn't seen him in his animal form yet, but now that she could see it, she had to admit he shaped up pretty nicely, for someone who was once human. He wasn't as big as Papa had been, but he was a fairly large lion. His golden fur was thick and rich, and his mane in contrast looked light and fluffy, like his human hair had been. Two magnificent white wings sprouted from a joint just above his shoulders, both edged in gold and tucked away against his back. His eyes were the same color as the sky on a bright, sunny day, and they looked at the trio in surprise, lined with black.

"So… what's going on?" he asked, looking a little confused. Anya and Arianna glanced at each other, wondering what he was talking about.

"Just a little pranking!" laughed the hyena in the tree. "I don't suppose a nice, strong lion like you would mind pulling this branch down so that I can get down, would you?"

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Leon, as some may know, does not wake up quickly. He had woken up to find the den empty, and, after many attempts, had finally gotten up to find the twin saber-tooths. He got a strange feeling as he exited the den, although he couldn't place his finger on it. But, instead of pondering it, he merely stretched, hoping to get some blood flowing to his brain. He stretched his front legs and his hind legs and his back… and _then_ he realized what was off. He looked at himself in surprise. He was a _lion_. A real, fucking _lion._

Of course, his first instinct was to panic. After all, he hadn't exactly dealt with being a lion upon coming here… heck, he hadn't even seen anyone else as an animal! He paced back and forth in front of the den anxiously. What if he didn't understand what the other animals said because they were different species now?

And then he realized how stupid that was. He was riding a magical flying boat that was a petshop where the animals looked human and the owner was immortal, (kinda,) and he was worried about not being able to talk? He gave his head a shake, feeling his mane fluff out as he did. It was a stupid worry. But, it wouldn't hurt to check. And besides, if he could see himself as an animal now, he would probably be able to see everyone else in their animal forms too.

As he trotted off through the savannah's tall grasses, he wondered if this was a step backwards or forwards. He hadn't been able to see any of the animals in human form until he had arrived on the boat for the first time, and he remembered feeling as if he had been let into some secret. Had he somehow degenerated from that during his time away?

Leon stopped and sighed. "I'm still thinking like a detective," he told himself aloud. "I've got to break that habit. I'm not on the force, or even human anymore." Ouch, that sounded harsh out loud. He remembered thinking the same thing about D, and even though he was a Golden Lion now, he still felt very human, and very far off from D.

"I just have to adapt, that's all," he muttered to himself as he resumed walking. He stopped abruptly when a scent hit his nose. It was rather familiar, and after a minute he recognized it as the same smell in the den. Following it with a surprising amount of ease, he found himself near a small pond with a tree nearby. In the tree, a hyena was squirming around, giggling, while the two saber tooth tigers laughed on the ground. All in all, it was a very, very, odd sight.

They looked at him expectantly as he looked at the scene in confusion and some amusement. "So… what's going on?"

The hyena, predictably, laughed. "Just a little pranking!" Leon noted that Arianna smirked a little at that, and guessed that the pranking had probably backfired on the spotted joker in the tree. "I don't suppose a nice, strong lion like you would mind pulling this branch down so that I can get down, would you?"

Leon looked at the hyena, then turned to the two girls. "Well?"

Anya laughed. "Why not? She's learned her lesson for today, I think." Her sister only huffed in annoyance.

"She'll never learn her lesson." When Anya looked pleadingly at her, however, she rolled her eyes and gave in. "Oh fine, you can let her down. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Leon nodded, and then looked up at the tree. "Uh, do you want me to fly up there and get you?"

"Well," the hyena drawled, "unless lions have suddenly become really good at climbing, then yes. That would probably be best."

Leon flapped his wings, shooting up about three feet in the air. Another flap brought him up six feet, where a branch whacked him in the back. He dropped again and flew backwards a bit to clear him self of the branches.

"Very smooth," commented Arianna sarcastically from the ground. "Why don't you fly straight into the trunk now?" Anya stepped on her tail with her hind foot, and the saber let out a yelp. "Ow! I was kidding!"

Leon rolled his eyes, flying up around the branches to where the hyena was sitting. The hyena launched herself at him, grabbing on tightly with her claws around his neck.

"Yikes!" He wobbled in his flight, nearly hitting another branch, then quickly lowered them to the ground. The hyena jumped off and out of the way just before he landed.

Leon sat on his haunches, folding his wings (which felt surprisingly natural) and rubbed at the claw marks on the back of his neck with one paw. "What was that for?" he growled, trying to ease the stinging. The hyena just laughed, bounding away.

"Thanks for the help!" she giggled, disappearing into the fields. Arianna growled at her retreating back, and Anya just rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, she's always like that," she told the lion. "It's not just you." She trotted over to him, propping herself up on his shoulder to look at the back of his neck. "Wow, she really dug in there, huh?" she asked, prodding the scratches with her nose. "Don't worry, it'll only hurt a minute though."

"What do you—?" Leon began, but stopped with a gasp as he felt his skin pulling back together over the scratches. He craned his neck, trying to look at where they had been. "Wh-what just happened?" he asked, awed and slightly alarmed. Was this some new ability of his, or…

"It's the petshop," Anya informed him. He looked over at her, curious. "No pet can really be harmed in the petshop, if it doesn't want to. Not by another pet, and especially not by humans." She nudged the back of his neck with his nose. "Little things like this, heal very quickly. Bigger things, the Count might have to tend to, but they usually heal within a week." She stepped back, taking her front feet off of Leon's shoulder. "It's all part of his magic, you know."

"D's?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. Anya nodded, and Arianna bounded over to join them.

"Are you done talking yet?" she asked in an exaggerated manner, giving a lazy yawn to show just how bored she was. "We've got a whole day ahead of us with nothing special to do! It's playtime!" She dropped to a crouch, growling playfully as she batted at her sister's feet. Anya patiently moved one foot, and then the other, until Arianna stopped.

"We still have to help him get acquainted with living in the petshop," she responded sternly. Arianna pouted grumpily, prepared to complain, but Anya gave her a light cuff with one paw. "We have to make sure he knows what he's doing and where stuff is."

Arianna was making such a put-out face that Leon couldn't help but feel bad for her. She might not have liked him much, but he saw a lot of himself in the ready-to-tumble tiger, and at the moment, she was making a face that very much resembled Chris when he looked her age. No one had ever accused him of it, but he really was a softie at heart.

"It's okay," he said to Anya. "Showing me around the petshop can wait, right?" He glanced over at Arianna, who looked hopeful. "It's been a busy day or so; a day of playing around wouldn't be bad." Arianna, grinning, now pulled a pair of hopeful eyes to Anya, who was studying Leon with a serious face. After a moment, she smiled.

"Alright, let's play." Arianna let out a shout, bounding off, and Anya followed close after, glancing back to beckon Leon on. As Leon stood and followed them, he couldn't help but think that he'd passed some sort of test. There was no doubt; Anya might look like she was only five, but her appearance hid an intelligence that matched her many years.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Author's Notes: So... I'm back. I don't blame you if you've all moved on. Finally got over my writer's block for this story, finally have a concrete plot in my head.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed. It really means a lot to me. :) But rather than answer any, I'll get this up five minutes faster!


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